Simu Liu claims that the company that fired him ten years ago owes him his life
Superheroes are famed for their dramatic transformations, and it turns out that the actors who portray them are no exception.
In an April 12 Instagram post, Simu Liu, a.k.a. Marvel’s Shang-Chi, wrote, “Ten years ago to the day, I was led into my managing partner’s office at Deloitte and told that they were terminating my employment effective immediately.”
I was led back onto the floor in front of the entire open-concept workplace by a lady from HR and a security officer.
You could hear a pin drop in the silence. Nobody made a move, said anything encouraging, or even looked in my direction. I choked back tears of embarrassment, collected my belongings, and turned away. “
The image was taken from a snapshot of one of his social media messages, which read, “I owe my life to being fired from a job I despised.” Accounting is not my strong suit. “
On the other hand, Liu was upset when he was laid off. “I believed my life was over ten years ago,” he continued. I’d squandered a lot of time and money that my family had put into me.
Years of schooling, talented programs, and attempting to meet my parents’ high expectations All of a sudden, it all came crumbling down. “
Every April 12, Liu, 32, gets “very hilarious and reflective” and says he’s “really in my feels” on the 10th anniversary. He then considered author Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000 hours” argument in his book Outliers, which claims that it takes 10,000 hours of work to become exceptional at something.
“I know some of you have read Gladwell, and man, was his forecast spot on,” Liu added. “10,000 hours equals ten years. What a fantastic adventure it’s been thus far. “
He added, looking back on his own career, “I spent four of those years frantically trying to find out how to break into the industry, suffering with credit card debt and taking any job that came my way.
Another three years were spent attempting to get into Hollywood, investing my life savings in what many would consider a pipe dream. Anything I’ve done in the last three years has only recently started to bear fruit. “
He then urged his audience to follow their ambitions. I recognize that chance has played a significant role in my achievements, but I am confident that even if I hadn’t been cast in two life-changing roles, I would still find purpose and meaning in pursuing success on my own terms.
My definition, not my parents’ From 2016 to 2021, Liu starred in the series Kim’s Convenience and made history as Marvel’s first Asian superhero lead in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
I’m not sure who needs to hear this right now, but no amount of money is worth sacrificing your personal vision. What life is all about is pursuing a dream, your dream, against all difficulties. On Instagram, have a wonderful April 12th. “
Oh, and he had these words for his former boss: “Thank you, Paul Gibbon and the Deloitte Toronto offices, from the bottom of my heart.
You did for me what I never had the confidence to do for myself: you demolished the life I was creating for someone else so that I could finally start creating a life for myself. “